


THE EMPIRE

by kalafiorek



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, Dooku is Not a Sith, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Dyad (Star Wars), Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Hijinks & Shenanigans, K2-SO snark, M/M, Mind Healers, Moral Ambiguity, Obi-Wan snark, Plo Koon being a dad, Protective Anakin Skywalker, Rating May Change, Sifo-Dyas is alive, Slow Burn, The Force Ships It (Star Wars), Zeffo (Star Wars), Zeffo - freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-19 08:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29996454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalafiorek/pseuds/kalafiorek
Summary: For the first twelve years of his life in this world, Anakin Skywalker fought to survive the slavery that threatened to destroy his entire sense of self.For the first fourteen years of his life, Obi-Wan Kenobi fought his own inner-battles against the rules and ways of the Jedi Order, striving to meet an ideal he has never succeeded in attaining.One chance encounter, willed by the Force. One Bond that can't be broken, and a new path for both of them unfurling through the turbulent galaxy. It will not be an easy path. Especially if everyone, including the Force, seems to have plans for their future.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!
> 
> Welcome to my first ever fanfic and subsequently the first one in the Star Wars fandom. But I was circling here for some time... and here we are.  
> Probably I also should have mentioned that English is not my first language and that this story will be long.  
>   
> Here is my [**ART**](https://kala-fiorek.tumblr.com/post/645942006963683328/the-empire-on-ao3-for-the-first-twelve-years) to this story (if you are interested). There will be more of those too.  
>   
> Also I wanted to thank [**Lilyconrad**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyconrad/pseuds/lilyconrad) for being a beta-reader of this story, great support and inspiration - _Darling, thank you for your time and patience with me! :)_  
>   
>   
>   
>  \- ABOUT THIS UNIVERSE -  
>   
>   
> The dates, when they would appear, are based on the **Treaty of Coruscant** as year 0 (which was as a year 0 at some point in canon, I believe). Since there will be no Battle of Yavin here.  
> So we have **ATC** (After Treaty of Coruscant) instead of **BBY** (yes, I've done the math based on canon (I think) year of TC to fit my plot :)  
>   
>   
> \- **This will be said in the story** , but just in case you want a heads up.  
>   
>  **Obi-Wan** and Padmé are the same age which is **14** years old. Padmé is also not a Queen.  
> Obi-Wan is Qui-Gon's Padawan for about a year now. After being sent off to Bandomeer at the age of 12, a year and some unfortunate circumstances later - he had become a Padawan. Quite an intense year he had there - I have to admit.  
>  **Anakin** is **12** and a slave when we are starting with the main story.  
> Currently, he is not pod-rasing anything.  
>   
> The other thing that might be important is that only Force-sensitive sentients can use lightsabers. For others, it would just sputter and went off or not react at all, no matter how many times they will press the on-button. If the sabers are stollen - its for the kybers - valued as jewels, or for untrained Force users, optionally for some maniacs who like to stare at bloody useless hilts (whatever floats their boat :).  
>   
> I'm also using the ancient civilisation of Zeffo here (from Jedi: Fallen Order) but, I'm running wild with inspiration taken from the game. So you don't have to know anything about Zeffo whatsoever.  
>   
> That's all, I think...  
>   
> Enjoy!  
> 

**Galactic year 3634 ATC.**

Somewhere in the depths of the **Outer Rim Territory**

  
  
  


The lifeless body of Admiral Tarkin hit the dark duracrete floor with a thud. His unseeing eyes reflected the pinkish glow of a lightsaber and the silhouette that held it, the sizzling hole in Tarkin’s chest leaving no doubt as to the cause of his demise.

The buzzing hum of the deadly weapon cut off and the stillness of the room grew more ominous until a faint sigh interrupted the gloom along with the new sound of steps ringing out - a second man approaching the first one briskly.

"I'm assuming he didn't want to surrender?" the newcomer asked in a soft, accented voice as he came to stand by the body and the echo of his footsteps ceased.

"No, he clearly did not," the man replied in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Faithful to the end." The delicate lilt to the words indicated the sarcasm.

An answering snort from Tarkin’s killer rang roughly in the quiet around them. "Faithful or fearful or plainly full of hate and greed. Either way, I'm not really devastated over the outcome," he continued, a smirk obvious in his tone.

A quiet snicker followed. "Oh, I'm sure you are not, Anakin."

"How are those Trade Federation sleemos and their friends?"

"Dead," came the slightly frustrated reply from the second man, annoyance made more elegant by his accent.

The silence that met his answer indicated Anakin was raising an eyebrow, even if the gloom didn’t allow it to be clearly seen.

"It's not that I wanted to kill them." There was a small pause. "Quite the contrary. Unfortunately, some killed themselves at the prospect of a trial and those whose fear made bold attacked me…with blasters. And, well, clearly, it wasn't a smart choice. On my part it was more of a battle-instinct, than anything else," the man rambled on as if getting worked up a little.

There was a rustle of fabric. "I'm not judging you, Obi-Wan."

"I know."

"We've done what was required of us."

"I know."

A whisper of more rustling and their joined, light steps echoed in the reddish-gloom of the chamber’s high ceilings.

"Let’s go. I'm sure K-2 is done with self-destruction protocols for this facility." Anakin slid his hand into Obi-Wan’s.

"Are the rest of the evidence and prisoners secured?"

"Of course. The attack was quick and a complete success. Ahsoka and Rex made sure of that. We’re done here."

"Good." With a relieved wave of his free hand, the one that wasn't tightly clasped in Anakin's durasteel fingers, Obi-Wan motioned forward. "Then lead the way, dear one."


	2. Desert Sands

  
  


**Thirteen years earlier**

**Galactic year 3621 ATC.**

Somewhere in the depths of the **Outer Rim Territory**

  
  


The floor under his feet shook and groaned while he struggled to keep his balance as he took another few steps ahead, trying to hold onto the walls of the corridor. The blaring noise of the emergency alarms drilled into his ears and straight into his brain, disturbing his already scattered thoughts. The red, flashing lights made his eyes water.

He inhaled deeply.

 _This was supposed to be an easy mission_ \- he thought bitterly. Escorting the senatorial daughter from Naboo to Coruscant. Nothing less, nothing more. Granted, the Jedi were involved because there had been threats of foul play directed at the Naberrie family for some time and after a particularly direct attempt, the rather hasty travel of the youngest child had been organized. To send her to join the rest of the family in the Galactic Capital, where security was tighter than anywhere else in the Galaxy.

 _Surely it wasn’t the safest mission possible, considering all the anonymous threats, but Master never took me on endeavours if they were viewed as life-threatening._ The thoughts kept rattling through his mind. _He never did before in the short year I was his Padawan._ _Well not since the Bandomeer anyway_.

"Obi-Wan!" He heard his name bellowed from further up in the cockpit he was lurching toward as the ship rocked. "Obi-Wan! Get to the navi-computer! Quick! We need to help the pilots while the others are handling the engines!"

That seemed to break his stupor. "Yes Master!" he blurted on reflex, not even sure if he was being heard over the noise.

His stiff muscles instinctively carried him to the empty seat before the controls of the navigational workstation. He quickly entered standard sequences to search for a suitable planet for an emergency landing, or any near planet for that matter, as long as it was livable. The computer spat out a few possibilities and he picked one at random. Or maybe the Force whispered into his ear. There was no time to overthink it. Obi-Wan keyed the coordinates immediately and the computer dutifully plotted the shortest route for the ship.

"Done, Master!" he called out, trying to shout over the constant noise of sirens. "We should get—" another powerful shake through the ship interrupted him. The alarms cut off and the usual white lights blinked on as the hyperdrive whirled to life, propelling the ship forward. "We should get to Tatooine in about ten minutes if we'll be able to keep this speed," he finished slightly quieter, while the pilots and his Master acknowledged his words with nods. 

Relative silence descended on the cockpit for a few seconds longer while everyone checked their readouts and adjustments in the pilots’ case.

Finally, the very tall man in a brown robe got up from the secondary navigator's chair and walked a few steps across the cabin to stand next to Obi-Wan's seat. He put his large hand on the boy's shoulder. "Good job, Obi-Wan." He smiled wide under his beard. "I knew you could work well under pressure." Obi-Wan wanted to humbly thank him for a compliment when the chilling thought dawned on him. _Was this a test? Was it for me to gain experience?_

 _Yes, that was definitely why._ Obi-Wan just wasn't entirely sure if it was the right way to do it because, thinking about it more, he was sure his teacher was a way more suitable person for finding the right planet in such a dire situation. _What if I picked wrong?_ he pondered and his hand unconsciously shot towards his braid, tugging at it on an anxious reflex. 

His Master furrowed his brows, looking down at his young apprentice. "Do not fret so much Obi-Wan. I knew you would not kill us. Just breathe and—"

"—believe in the guiding of the living Force," the boy mumbled, interrupting his teacher at the same time he tried to take deeper breaths to calm his fried nerves.

"Precisely," the Jedi Master nodded, smiling again, and he patted his student on the shoulder. "Now strap yourself in. The jump is short, and the landing might be pretty rough."

Obi-Wan grimaced visibly at that reminder, before quickly schooling his face into calm indifference. "Of course, Master," he nodded and grabbed his seatbelt.

"Good," the older Jedi nodded with approval. "I will go check on our charge and the general situation with the passengers and the technicians if the time allows." He left the cockpit and his slightly shaken Padawan behind.

Qui-Gon directed his long strides down the cream-walled, well-lit corridor that led into the recreational area of the ship. He smiled pleasantly when entering the pale-coloured room decorated with red accents, where their passenger and two of her Handmaidens were seated, surrounded by four Nabooian guards.

"Master Jinn," he was addressed immediately by a petite looking girl with long, dark hair pinned into the intricate braids. "Who attacked us? What is going on?" She fired her questions off in a hurried but certainly not scared manner.

The Jedi Master lifted his hand in a placating gesture. 

"Miss Padmé, we will be approaching Tatooine shortly," he calmly informed the girl, not answering any of the questions yet. "I was informed by your ship-crew that the hyperdrive sustained some minor damage. We were able to make a short jump, but soon we will be forced to seek new replacement parts. That is why we are stopping on Tatooine.” He glanced at the Captain, who visibly bristled at the planet's name. “While not an ideal place, there is a chance of finding needed components."

Padmé nodded in acknowledgement, breathing a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you, Master Jinn." She composed herself completely, folding the layers of her embellished, dark dress and straightening her spine. "What can you tell us about the attacker then? Have our scanners picked anything?" she inquired earnestly.

The tall Jedi Master put his hands into the loose sleeves of the brown robe and shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, the vessel that attacked us was an unmarked and heavily customized Star Curier’ model - that is all we could gather. Which does not say much of the identity of our pursuer at this moment."

Padmé's shoulders slumped a little at that news. She bit her lower lip, looking stubbornly at the floor. Soon one of the Maidens next to her put a comforting hand on hers, closing her fingers over Padmé’s fist.

The Jedi Master moved a few steps towards Padmé and knelt at her feet to level himself with her face. "You will make it to Coruscant, Padmé. I promise," he stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. "As of now," he started in his usual light manner, putting his hands on his own knee, "we lost them. Whomever they were. The Arkanis Sector has quite a few systems we could have jumped to and the Tatoo System is quite dense with planets we could have landed on. It will take some time to track us down and we might be long gone from Tatooine by then."

Padmé smiled at the man before her and nodded. "Thank you, Master Jinn.”

The Jedi Master lifted himself to his full height and laughed. "Thank Obi-Wan. He picked the planet."

Padmé smiled wider at the infectious optimism and good humour of the otherwise intimidating looking Jedi. She felt her muscles loosen a bit along her shoulders as hope started to seep into her mind. _Everything might be fine after all_. 

"But for now," the Jedi Master's deep voice interrupted her thoughts, "please strap yourselves in."

They heard the hyperdrive disengage with the sharper jolt and more worrying rattle than it should have. Padmé was sure, when she thought about it later, that at that very moment the only reason the Jedi Master didn't lose his footing was by using the Force. The man just walked to the nearest seat and fastened his seatbelt, just in time for the alarms to wail again when the Nabooian ship shook violently while piercing the atmosphere of Tatooine.

In the cockpit, Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to breathe evenly while the ship groaned and vibrated its way through the atmospheric gases surrounding the planet they were descending onto.

 _This! This is why I hate flying!_ The hysterical thought bounced in his brain in the rhythm that his body was trying to jostle to, in his seat.  
Obi-Wan gripped the armrests of his chair with all his strength, knuckles turning paper-white. Now he truly regretted that Bantha-sandwich he had for lunch earlier. He greeted his teeth fiercely and gathered the Force around himself even tighter, trying and failing to keep the unpleasant flipping of his stomach at bay.

Finally, the ship shot out of the stratosphere. The pilots were shouting something between themselves, but Obi-Wan couldn't decipher any of it over the ringing in his ears. In truth, he paid more attention to the smooth glide of their silver vessel's trajectory. 

Up until it jolted especially hard, the force of the landing almost propelled Obi-Wan out of his seat if not for the harness keeping him in place. The ship kept shaking violently as it hit and skidded further on the sandy surface of the planet.

With the final moans and beeps of the ship's hull and its many controllers respectively, it came to a complete stop, digging itself into a tall dune.

For a moment no one moved and Obi-Wan took a few very deep breaths. He winced at his aching sternum and forced his unruly insides to settle while heated metal fizzled and ticked all around him.

Obi-Wan unclenched his fingers from the armrests, hearing the pilots' weak laughter as they powered the ship down. Soon they started to fiddle with their harnesses and moved to leave.

"You okay, kid?" one of the pilots asked Obi-Wan on his way out. 

Obi-Wan just nodded and croaked an affirmative before the pilots left the cockpit, after once again looking him over, he figured probably for any injuries. Finding none, they hurried toward the back of the ship to assess the damage the landing had done.

Obi-Wan waited for a second longer, gathering his bearings, waiting to move until he was sure that his legs would not give up on him. He'd become almost frantic by then, and hurriedly unfastened his seatbelt and stood, going back to the main area as briskly as his legs allowed him to. Soon he could overhear an ardent conversation taking place in the room ahead of him.

"With all due respect, Miss Padmé. I cannot allow you to wander a planet like Tatooine, even under Jedi protection," the Captain of Nabooian guards said with increasing concern that also blossomed on his face.

"I have to agree with Captain Typho, Padmé." The calm and deep voice of Master Jinn seemed to soothe the worst of the growing tension in the room as Obi-Wan approached the gathering. "It will be much quicker and, what's more important, safer, that I go alone." At that Obi-Wan's head snapped up toward his Master but the man paid him no mind and continued talking to Padmé. "You, your Handmaidens, guards and my Padawan will all stay behind."

Padmé looked ready to argue, but the Jedi Master continued, clearly quite versed in dealings with the strong-willed children. "I am positive our descent piqued at least some interest. Tatooine is not a friendly planet by any stretch of the word. That is why I'll be the best suited to venture out. Also, I can find my way in the desert," he added with a hint of authority in his voice.

Padmé nodded, unhappy. Her mood coiled about her in stiff whips of the Force flowing around her, but it didn't seem to bother the older Jedi as he carried on. "Even if some scavengers will make it here before my return, I am confident my Padawan and your guards will handle the situation," he stated with finality.

Deeming this exchange done, he turned his attention onto Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master gestured for the Padawan to follow him into the corridor. They walked briskly in silence, stopping only at the Master’s sleeping-cabin so he could pick up a backpack with necessities for his scouting endeavour.

Finally, they descended onto the lower level of the ship and came to a stop in a loading-bay, not far from the slowly lowering ramp at the end of it.

Obi-Wan, biting on his lower lip and feeling terribly on edge, watched silently the ongoing preparations and the metal slope slowly settling in the sand.

The open entrance let the scalding-hot air inside, while the Jedi Master readied himself for the trek through the desert.

"Obi-Wan," he finally started, giving the backpack and his outer robe back to the rigidly standing Padawan. The boy's head shot up at hearing his name. "Listen carefully, my Padawan. First, I believe you will do splendidly guarding the Senator's daughter and I'm sure there will not be many threats out here."

Obi-Wan looked at his Master with wide eyes, still trying to comprehend the enormity of his duty. He started to twirl his thin braid in his free hand, feeling anxious all over again before he was jostled from his thoughts by a heavy and steady hand on his shoulder.

"Breathe Obi-Wan, and don't overthink it. I’m sure all will be as the Force wills it," the Jedi Master smiled, but soon his face turned serious again. "But I want you to be prepared. Always be prepared." The man waited for the acknowledgement from the boy. "Especially now, in the possible eventuality that I do not comm the ship by the end of tomorrow, or not return the day after. If so, you will have to do everything in your power and beyond alongside the Nabooian guards to leave Tatooine as fast as possible and get Miss Naberrie to Coruscant."

Obi-Wan swallowed and nodded in agreement again, not exactly capable of processing any constructive ideas at the moment. _How are we supposed to make it to Coruscant all the way from Tatooine with a broken hyperdrive? Not to mention the assailant from earlier today might find us any minute!_ A spike of annoyance prickled the back of his mind.

Master Jinn squeezed the boy's shoulder reassuringly, recognizing his apprentice's hectically working brain shifting into anxious overthinking. "Padawan, don't fret so much. You have all the skills you need. Just remember to listen to the Force. You are never alone when you have the Force, and it will always guide you."

"Yes Master," Obi-Wan stated flatly, trying with all his might to channel more confidence into his voice than he really felt. 

The Jedi Master patted him one last time on the shoulder and exited the ship out onto the vast sands of Tatooine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> And tbc... soon


End file.
